Bolesà Âaw the Pious (1224/27 â 14 April 1279) was a Duke of Greater Poland during 1239âÂÂ1247 (according to some historians during 1239âÂÂ1241, sole Duke of Ujà Âcie), Duke of Kalisz during 1247âÂÂ1249, Duke of Gniezno during 1249âÂÂ1250, Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz during 1253âÂÂ1257, Duke of the whole of Greater Poland and Poznaà  during 1257âÂÂ1273, in 1261 ruler over Làd, regent of the Duchies of Mazovia, Pà Âock and Czersk during 1262âÂÂ1264, ruler over Bydgoszcz during 1268âÂÂ1273, Duke of Inowrocà Âaw during 1271âÂÂ1273, and Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz from 1273 until his death.
He was the second son of Wà Âadysà Âaw Odonic, Duke of Greater Poland by his wife Jadwiga, who was probably the daughter of Mestwin I, Duke of Pomerania, or a member of the Pà Âemyslid dynasty. His name was very popular in the Piast dynasty, so it is unknown exactly after whom he was named. Very soon Bolesà Âaw received the nickname of "the Pious" (Latin: Pius, ), given to him during his lifetime by the Chronicle of the Chapter of Poznaà Â. In 1264, Bolesà Âaw granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland.
The first years of Bolesà Âaw saw him share the fierce dispute of his father against Wà Âadysà Âaw III Spindleshanks (his own uncle) for his inheritance. However, Wà Âadysà Âaw Odonic took care properly for the upbringing of his offspring, evidenced by the fact that Bolesà Âaw, like his older brother Przemysà  I, was able to read and write Latin.
Because Bolesà Âaw was a minor when Wà Âadysà Âaw Odonic died on 5 June 1239, his elder brother Przemysà  I ruled alone at first. Historians agree the territory the brothers inherited started out small, but disagree as to whether it extended beyond Ujà Âcie and Nakà Âo in northern Poland. In 1241, Przemysà  and Boleslaw began reclaiming the lands their father had lost. By 1243 the brothers regained most of the Duchies of Poznaà  and Gniezno, in 1244 Kalisz, in 1247 Santok, and in 1249 Wieluà Â. In 1244, Bolesà Âaw supported his brother in a conflict between the local nobility and the clergy led by the Bishop of Poznaà  Bogufaà  II for the privileges their father had granted shortly before his death. On 24 April 1245 Przemysà  I acknowledged Boleslaw's coming of age by knighting him during a solemn Mass in honor of St. Adalbert of Prague in Gniezno, celebrated by Archbishop Peà Âka Liz.
The indivisibility of the Duchy was not to Bolesà Âaw's liking, and in 1247 he persuaded his brother Przemysà  I to provide territory for his sole leadership: the land between the Prosna River and PrzemÃÂt, north of the Warta River and thence to the Odra River; in short it was the Duchy of Kalisz. This division, though rather unjust for Bolesà Âaw, was approved by the Church, and after he protested, he was threatened with the excommunication. Despite the fact that he now had his own district, Bolesà Âaw did not pursue a foreign policy; this would continue to be the responsibility of his brother. This was revealed during the dispute with Duke Casimir I of Kuyavia regarding the possession of Ladzka, which was given to him by Henry II the Pious as a dowry for his daughter Constance, Casimir I's second wife. This decision was not recognized by Wà Âadysà Âaw Odonic's sons, but eventually they reconciled and even signed an alliance with the Kuyavian Duke, which effectively ended any attempt to change the ownership of the disputed land.
In 1249 Bolesà Âaw, dissatisfied with the tutelage of his older brother, persuaded him to make a new division of their patrimony. He received the Duchies of Kalisz and Gniezno, with the addition of Wieluà Â, which had recently been returned to the rule of Wà Âadysà Âaw Odonic's sons. This new division was apparently made peacefully, because later in that same year the brothers together gave support to Konrad I of Gà Âogów against his brother Bolesà Âaw II the Bald. However, on 19 May 1250 an unexplained event took place, which was related in the Chronicle of Greater Poland:
The conflict certainly was not trivial, since Bolesà Âaw did not regain his freedom until 20 April 1253, thanks to the pressures of the powerful Greater Poland clergy. The final reconciliation between the brothers occurred in May of that year at a meeting in Pogorzelica near Giecz, where thanks to the mediation of Peà Âka, the Archbishop of Gniezno Bolesà Âaw recovered his Duchy of Kalisz-Gniezno. After that the brothers cooperated without problems, but Bolesà Âaw was still removed from the foreign policy of Greater Poland. On 8 May 1254, Bolesà Âaw took part in the national Congress of Piast princes at Kraków on the occasion of the canonization of St. Stanislaus, where they decided to form a coalition against Swantopolk II, Duke of Pomerania. Among the princes who participated were his brother Przemysà  I, Casimir I of Kuyavia, Siemowit I of Masovia, Wà Âadysà Âaw of Opole and Bolesà Âaw V the Chaste. In September of that year Bolesà Âaw participated in an expedition against Henry III the White launched by his brother and Konrad I of Gà Âogów.
On 4 June 1257 Przemysà  I died, aged only 36. With his brother's death, new horizons opened to Bolesà Âaw. He became in the undisputed sole ruler over the whole of Greater Poland. Although the posthumous son of his brother, Przemysà  II, was born on 14 October of that year, Boleslaw was his guardian until he was declared an adult. The first of Bolesà Âaw's new foreign politics was his marriage in 1258 to Princess Jolenta (Helena), daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary. This union resulted in a permanent bond between Bolesà Âaw and Hungary, reflected in the assistance given in the conflict with Bohemia after the extinction of the House of Babenberg. For Bolesà Âaw, this alliance cost him the devastation of Greater Poland during the winter of 1267âÂÂ1268 by troops of King Ottokar II of Bohemia during his return from an expedition against the Prussians. One of the stages of this war was also the trip taken by Bolesà Âaw together with Bolesà Âaw V the Chaste and Leszek II the Black in the autumn of 1273 in order to visit Wà Âadysà Âaw of Opole, an ally of the Pà Âemyslid dynasty.
During 1258-1261 Bolesà Âaw was involved in a long and destructive war against Casimir I of Kuyavia and his ally Swantopolk II for the castellanie of Ladzka. To this end, the Greater Poland Duke allied with Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania-Demmin, Siemowit I of Masovia, Bolesà Âaw V the Chaste and Roman Danylovich, Prince of Navahradak. The war ended in a full victory and Ladzka returned to Greater Poland. The formal treaty was signed on 29 November 1259; however, Casimir I delayed in fulfilled the provisions of the agreement, which led in 1261 to a new military expedition.
On 23 June 1262 Siemowit I was killed at the hands of the Lithuanian troops and his eldest son Konrad II was taken prisoner. Both Konrad II and his younger brother Bolesà Âaw II were minors at that time; for this reason, Bolesà Âaw became regent of their domains (Duchies of Masovia, Pà Âock and Czersk) for the next two years, until 1264, when Konrad II obtain his freedom and return to Masovia.
In 1268 Bolesà Âaw interfered again in the Kuyavian affairs. Casimir I's son, Duke Ziemomysà  of Inowrocà Âaw, followed a policy of close contacts with the Teutonic Order and Duke Sambor II of Pomerania, who became in his father-in-law. This caused a deep dissatisfaction among the local nobility, who called on Bolesà Âaw for help. The Duke of Greater Poland quickly took Radziejów, Kruszwica and the castle in Bydgoszcz; however, rapid action by Ziemomysà  regained temporary control of this lands.
Despite this success, Ziemomysà  continued with his German-Pomeranian politics, which caused a new revolt by his subjects, who called again Bolesà Âaw for help: in 1271 he invaded the Duchy of Inowrocà Âaw and forced Ziemomysà  to flee. Bolesà Âaw retained the Duchy until 1273, when he gave it to Ziemomysà Â's brother Leszek II the Black, except for Radziejów and Kruszwica, which remained in Greater Poland.
From the beginning of his sole rule, Bolesà Âaw established contacts with the Margraviate of Brandenburg, ruled by the House of Ascania; in this, he followed the policy of his brother Przemysà  I, who even betrothed his eldest daughter Constance with Conrad, son of Margrave John I. Three years after Przemysà  I's death (in 1260), Constance and Conrad were formally married. As a dowry, Brandenburg received the castellany of Santok (but without the important main city) with the consent of a wiec reunited in Greater Poland, which took place on 1 July 1260 in Poznaà Â.
However, the expected peace due to this marriage was short-lived. In early 1265 Brandenburg occupied the main city of Santok and broke the previous agreement. Thanks to an immediate diplomatic intervention, Bolesà Âaw soon signed a new treaty with Brandenburg, under which Greater Poland burned the fortress built in Drezdenko, and Brandenburg also burned his fortress in Santok. But in 1269 war with Brandenburg erupted again. They built a fortress in SulÃÂcin, and in response Bolesà Âaw did the same thing in MiÃÂdzyrzecz. The invasion of MiÃÂdzyrzecz launched by the Margraves of Brandenburg was successfully repulsed by Bolesà Âaw, who in December 1269 could advance to Lubusz and in addition, during this expedition burned several fortresses, included the one newly built in SulÃÂcin. Both sides made a new agreement and were restored the fortress in Santok (from Brandenburg) and Drezdenko (from Greater Poland). The latter was captured by Brandenburg in 1270. For this reason, in the spring of 1271 Bolesà Âaw organized a major military expedition against Santok and Neumark, ravaging this land terribly, but he could not recover the lost domains.
The war with the House of Ascania wasn't limited to the border areas of Greater Poland. By 1272 Bolesà Âaw entered in an alliance with Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerania-Gdaà Âsk; one year later (in 1273), he renewed his homage to Brandenburg and promised his help to the Margraviate against all his enemies, except the Duke of Greater Poland. In the same year was launched another expedition against Brandenburg. Although nominal leadership of the troops was given by Bolesà Âaw to his young nephew Przemysà  II, the expedition was actually headed by experienced commanders such as the voivode of Poznaà Â, Przedpeà Âk à Âodzia, and the castellan of Kalisz Janek. They successfully reconquered both Drezdenko and Strzelce. The last campaign against Brandenburg during Bolesà Âaw's lifetime took in the summer of 1278, when Greater Poland troops advanced to Myà Âlibórz and eventually recovered Santok.
Bolesà Âaw continued the policy of Przemysà  I and maintained in their positions the nobles appointed by him. He also developed good relations with the Church while also trying to influence the appointment of the most important religious posts. His generosity to the clergy, allowed the Franciscans to establish a post in 1259 in Gniezno. Also during his rule the monastery of Poor Clares in Gniezno was started, which remained unfinished even at the time of Przemysà  II's death.
On 16 August 1264 Bolesà Âaw granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland (the Statute of Kalisz). It regulated the judicial authority over the Jewish population, and Jewish credit and trading activity. The comparatively liberal statute served as a basis for Jewish privileges in Poland until 1795.
In 1273, after the victorious expedition against Brandenburg, Przemysà  II began to claim his own separated Duchy. Unable to face the powerful pressure, Bolesà Âaw agreed to this and given his nephew the district of Poznaà Â. To bind Przemysà  II with his politics, Bolesà Âaw arranged the marriage of his nephew with Ludgarda, daughter of Henry I the Pilgrim, Lord of Mecklenburg. In addition, Ludgarda was a granddaughter of Duke Barnim I of Pomerania, and thanks to this union the alliance with Western Pomerania was reinforced. Dukes of Greater Poland political path, however, soon spread, as Przemysà  II became involved with Henry IV Probus, and Bolesà Âaw, using the imprisonment of Henry IV in 1277, tried to force financial concessions. Bolesà Âaw supported this policy with the marriage of his firstborn daughter Elisabeth with Henry V the Fat, Duke of Legnica.
Bolesà Âaw died on 14 April 1279 in Kalisz and was buried in the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznaà Â.
In 1258 Bolesà Âaw married Jolenta (Helena) (b. 1244 â d. 16/17 June aft. 1304), daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary. They had:
After Bolesà Âaw died without male heirs, all of the Greater Poland Duchy passed to his only nephew Przemysà  II, who was crowned King of Poland in 1295 but murdered the following year. With his death the Greater Poland branch of the Piast dynasty became extinct.